Insider Talks at 2026 IFAM
The Insider Talks series brings together artists and industry experts for inspiring conversations exploring creativity, tradition, and the impact of folk art worldwide. Join us for unique insights and meaningful discussions that deepen your Market experience.
All Insider Talks are hosted at Sky Cinemas, a short walk from the Market. Tickets are required for each event.
Friday, July 10, 2026 | 1:00 p.m. | Nevada Wier & Boyd Matson
Join award-winning photographer Nevada Wier in conversation with Boyd Matson, longtime host of the series National Geographic Explorer and a spokesperson for the National Geographic Society. Nevada Wier is a multiple award-winning photographer specializing in documenting the remote corners of the world and the cultures that inhabit them. She is recognized for her creative and intimate approach to people and her intriguing infrared images. She has been published in numerous national and international publications, including National Geographic, National Geographic Traveler, National Geographic Adventure, Geo, Islands, NY Times Magazine, Outside, and Smithsonian.
Friday, July 10, 2026 | 3:00 p.m. | Reneé Neblett of Korobitey Institute, Ghana
Reneé C. Neblett presents The Future of Traditional Knowledge Systems: An Artist’s Journey. Reneé has lived in Ghana for 35 years and is the founding director of the Kokrobitey Institute, a private research and development facility that began its work in 1992 with the goal of expanding the boundaries of American education to include study in Africa. Today, the Institute offers short- and long-term residential programs that explore the interconnections among Art/Resourceful Design, Environmental Studies, History, and Culture through the lens of traditional Ghanaian knowledge systems. The Institute is home to Wote, a sustainable fashion label that uses repurposed and pre-consumer textile waste. It also produces jewelry and household products fashioned from recycled glass. She'll share how a love of art, an interest in the human form, and a commitment to social justice have defined her personal journey, culminating in the establishment of the Kokrobitey Institute.
Saturday, July 11, 2026 | 11:00 a.m. | Sonica Sarna of Projecthrive, India
Join Sonica Sarna for her talk Crafts Meet Sustainability: Impact Reporting for Indigenous Artisan Communities. She leads Sonica Sarna Design and Projecthrive in India, an award-winning ethical design & production company that engages vulnerable artisan communities, regenerative farm-to-closet and organic textiles, women's empowerment programs & in-house Fair Trade-certified factory production to create high-fashion products in partnership with leading brands worldwide.
The answers to climate change, environmental degradation, and socio-economic inequity already exist within indigenous artisan communities. For centuries, these communities have worked in harmony with nature, farming with the land, dyeing with plants and minerals, weaving with zero waste, and building regenerative systems where nothing is discarded. Yet their voices are often absent from global sustainability conversations, even as machine-driven supply chains are celebrated as innovative. Today, in the midst of a climate emergency, indigenous wisdom is not just relevant, it is urgent. Sonica's work focuses on helping artisan communities measure and communicate this impact through scientific and social metrics, so that indigenous knowledge is recognized, respected, and advanced.
Saturday, July 11, 2026 | 1:00 p.m. | Rodman Primack & Rudy Weissenberg
Rodman Primack and Rudy Weissenberg are the co-founders of AD100 design firm AGO Interiors and the Mexico City–based collectible design gallery and incubator AGO Projects. They'll be sharing insights from Love How You Live: Adventures in Interior Design, their first book dedicated to AGO Interiors’ work and the makers they champion. Their practice centers on storytelling, craftsmanship, and connection - guiding clients to invest in meaningful objects while supporting local creative communities.
Primack previously served as executive and creative director of Design Miami and held senior roles at Christie’s and Phillips, working for figures such as Larry Gagosian and Peter Marino while building his own design and textile practice. Weissenberg, who grew up in Guatemala City, worked in Spanish-language media in the United States, producing telenovelas for Univision, Telemundo, and Sony before pivoting to design; he holds master’s degrees from Harvard Graduate School of Design and Columbia Business School and serves as co-chair of the Guggenheim’s Latin American Circle of Friends and on Harvard GSD’s Dean’s Leadership Council.
Saturday, July 11, 2026 | 3:00 p.m. | Sam Brakash
Sam Brakarsh is a cultural strategist, policy advocate, and theatre maker from Zimbabwe. He serves as the Africa Regional Representative for Artists at Risk Connection/PEN America, where he leads the Censorship Reform Program, advancing artistic freedom legislation in 11 countries. Sam chairs the Pan-African Summit on Artistic Freedom (Zanzibar, 2025 & Ethiopia, 2026), and cofounded the Chikukwa Research Trust and Culture Centre in Zimbabwe. His cultural advocacy includes developing a residency network for artists-at-risk with Res Artis International, coordinating the AMANI: Creative Defense Network, advising the NYC Perelman Arts Centre’s Democracy Cycle Awards, serving on the Social Prescribing Cultural Design Team for the New York Federal Reserve, and sitting on the board of Savanna Arts Trust. As a Theatre of the Oppressed practitioner, he has led programs across Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America using participatory theatre to influence social networks, law, and policy.
Sunday, July 12, 2026 | 11:00 a.m. | Film Screening: Handmade Futures
Handmade Future follows artisans in six countries who preserve heritage, navigate the complex role of middlemen, and advance responsible trade—pushing back against fast, cheap production to quietly restore a frayed world through beauty and human connection.
From rug weavers in Morocco’s Atlas Mountains and block printers in India’s Golden Triangle to Appalachian broom makers in Kentucky and recycled-glass blowers in Kenya, Handmade Future showcases craftspeople worldwide whose work carries generations of skill, culture, and creativity. It considers the ethics, artistry, and equity of the global craft economy—highlighting the beauty of handwork, the pressures makers face, and the efforts of those determined to keep their traditions alive in a rapidly modernizing world. The film reflects on how artisans might guide us towards a more sustainable, community-focused future.
